Trace elements are dietary substances required by ruminants in very small amounts, but they have a huge influence on flock health and performance. In sheep, the most important are selenium, cobalt, iodine and copper. They underpin key metabolic processes driving fertility, lamb survival, growth and disease resistance. When […]
Bluetongue continues to be a concern for UK livestock farmers, but the situation this spring is quite different to what we experienced last year. Here is a clear update on where things stand and what actions we should be taking now.
Current Situation
At present, the risk […]
Holstein Young Breeders (HYB) members from across the country came together at Reaseheath College this February for four days of technical visits and discussion. The Holstein UK Advanced Dairy Training Programme challenged us to think beyond the show ring and focus on the foundations of successful pedigree […]
Sexed semen use has rocketed over the past decade. Its use can boost the proportion of female dairy calves born (producing more replacements from fewer cows) and can skew the gender-balance of beef calves towards the more valuable male calves. However, sexed semen needs using carefully to […]
Joint ill, also known as infectious arthritis, is a common and serious condition affecting lambs, particularly in spring. Moredun reports it typically affects 1–2% of lambs but can be much higher on some farms. The bacterial infection enters through the open navel and spreads to the joints, causing swelling, pain […]
By Rob Hall
The UK leads the global rankings for sexed semen use – 84% of all dairy-breed inseminations are sexed semen in 2025. This is up from just 14% ten years ago; a strong swing which demonstrates confidence in the quality of sexed semen available.
Figure 1 – Proportion […]
By Hannah Camassa
After the success of our Italian Farm Tour in 2024, we returned in 2026; this time with an even bigger group of 32 farmers and vets representing all LLM branches! The trip was planned to coincide with Fieragricola, the prestigious agricultural show held in Verona every other […]
Our most recent flock club meeting focused on ewe productivity and possible reasons behind poor scanning results seen in flocks across the country this season. Kindly sponsored by MSD, topics covered included “Iceberg” diseases – Maedi-Visna, Johne’s, CLA, and Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma. These diseases can go undetected […]
Mycoplasma Bovis infection is a common challenge we face on farm and can cause a significant impact on the health and performance of your calves. Whilst it is found globally, in the UK M. Bovis is most commonly seen as calf respiratory disease and outbreaks of mycoplasma […]
As turnout approaches, now is an ideal time to pause and plan your worm control strategy for the year ahead. Careful planning protects animal health and performance and helps slow the development of wormer resistance on your farm. Will Gratwick reviews how your our vets, SQPs and […]
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